This Sikh Temple is busting period taboos with an incredibly empowering new policy

"Our faith doesn't discriminate."

04 Apr 2019

Ok I admit, when it’s my time of the month, you are more likely to find me curled up on the sofa with a box of choccies watching Love Island than playing beach volleyball, no matter what the adverts say. However, whatever I want to do, I know I can without thinking twice.

So imagine not being able to touch the same food, have sex or attend the funeral of a loved one, just because you have your period.

For many women of the Sikh faith, this is what they are dealing with every month and not just abroad - it’s happening right here in the UK.

Although thankfully, a lot of Sikh women don't experience any restrictions and such taboos are strongly condemned within the Sikh faith, which strongly emphasises equality between the sexes, this is not the case for everyone.

Everyday things we take for granted, such as giving someone a hug, or sticking our clothes in the washing machine are out of bounds because they are considered impure and dirty when women have their time of the month, several women who practise the Sikh faith told GLAMOUR.

However, one Sikh temple in London is taking a stand and calling the community out on it.

The Shepherd’s Bush Gurdwara (Temple) has become the first in the world to launch a period policy. It includes providing free sanitary products, running workshops on menstrual health and most importantly making sure there are no restrictions on women during their periods.

It’s a big deal because temples are considered the biggest no-go area for women during their periods and most people believe it’s sacrilege for a woman to step foot in a temple or pray during their period.

The period policy was the idea of Manjit Gill from Binti International, a charity which tackles on period poverty and education in developing countries.

She decided to take action after she discovered to her horror that many of the taboos which she came across in countries like India also existed here.

"It was a real eye opener to see we had the same issues in the UK," she said. "One lady told me she wasn’t allowed to go to her father’s funeral and another said she was not to touch anyone or any food. And this was all in the UK."

Often when you have PMS, you are on an emotional rollercoaster anyway, so being cut off from your loved ones just because of your cycle can have devastating consequences.

Baljit Kaur*, 26 from Manchester said, "When my mum died, I lied about being on my period as there was no way I was going to miss saying goodbye. The idea that periods are dirty is so ingrained in us, that it never occurred to me to question whether it was right."

Jaspreet Kaur a.k.a Behind the Netra, a spoken word artist from East London, shed light on the taboo around periods in her poem ‘Blood,’ in which she describes "sneaking my sanitary towels as if they were drugs".

"It felt like something I needed to hide, as if I was doing something wrong. An embarrassment, something shameful, when of course it wasn't. But women are made to feel like it’s something deviant, something criminal."

Manjit did some research and discovered that many of these were cultural myths and nothing to do with religion so she decided to get the temples involved.

However, changing attitudes that have existed for centuries were a battle and she faced a backlash from the community who thought she was disrespecting their faith.

"Getting temples on board wasn’t easy particularly as they are all run by men. We faced a backlash from people who didn’t agree with the issue being discussed in the temple because it’s a sacred place so it was considered obscene. I was scared that someone would cause trouble."

However, the Shepherds Bush Temple, which is the oldest in the UK, agreed to get on board. Youth Secretary of the Temple, Gurpreet Singh Anand said: "By supporting this initiative, we hope to get the debate going and remove the stigma. If we have a policy, we hope other gurdwaras will follow suit and it sends a positive message to the community that our faith doesn’t discriminate".

In countries like India and Nepal, superstitions around periods are rife and not just in the Sikh community. "Women are told if they look in a mirror when they have their period, they will become infertile or they can’t go out after sunset or they will go blind," said Manjit.

"Often they are isolated in a room with just a bucket for a toilet and their blankets are burned after."

Such beliefs can have fatal consequences. Just last month, a 21-year-old woman in Nepal died of smoke inhalation when she was banished into a period hut and lit a fire because of freezing temperatures. Last year, a school girl in India committed suicide after being humiliated by her teacher when she started her period and stained a chair.

However, since launching the policy, Manjit has been contacted by temples around the world for help to set up similar projects. "I’m delighted, but I just felt that before I go to a Hindu temple or a Muslim mosque, or go to another country, we needed to get our house in order first. Hopefully we are starting to do that now."